Since her debut in 2020, has evocatively captured the shifting tides and sea changes that accompanies one’s twenties. There’s always been a topographic affectation to the London artist’s earlier offerings – 2021 EP ‘Before I Speak’ and last year’s ‘’ – but her recent release, ‘’, is a striking patchwork tapestry entirely of its own. Here electro-acoustic balladry meets modern soul devotionals, as Park disentangles and threads together the dissonance and digital overload that comes with living between places and people.

Tender and revelatory, diaristic yet gently confrontational, Park texturally expands the ways in which we picture the many forms that love and transient life can take. Of the project, Park says, “‘THREAD 27’ is about building yourself up by hand through different mediums. I used the language of several art forms; sewing, drawing, painting, technology and mosaic, to talk about my life.”

In conversation with CLASH, Park traces her musical origin story, opening up about her multi-media approach to song craft, the prevailing themes of her current release and the discerning wisdom she’d impart to other independent musicians seeking to preserve their voice.

When did your musical journey begin? Is there a singular moment you realised music would be a tangible career?

I actually don’t think there has been a singular moment, but more so a gradual realisation that I was spending every ounce of my free time in university on music. When my friends were going to parties, I was taking the train to LA for sessions instead. It wasn’t convenient for me to be spending so much time in the studio on top of a full college course load, so that sort of proved to me that I really cared about it.

Name three projects by other artists that get as close to defining who you are as an artist? 

‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ by Lauryn Hill; ’19 MASTERS’ by Saya Grey; ‘Pointy Heights’ by Fousheé.

You released your project ‘GOOD GRACES’ last year. Over a year on, what did that transitional release do for your artistry? What did it signify? 

It signified my move to London, both personally and musically. I had to start over with my music community and find new collaborators in London, which was definitely a slow process. I think it was important to make that last project as it was a process of redeveloping my confidence in my ideas, which was able to fully materialise with the most recent EP where I felt fully confident in what I wanted it to sound like and look like. I made the video for ‘PAINT ME A DREAM’ and directed the video for ‘TOUCH CONTROL’, which were really cool moments of stepping in the driver’s seat on the visual side.

What is your process as a musician? Is it an insular set-up? Is it collaborative in nature? Is it melody-first, lyrics second? 

Both. I sometimes like to write alone, but also love the spontaneity of collaborating. I think it’s so cool that I can show up to the studio with zero plans and leave with a full song.  I am lucky enough to work with such talented producers and musicians, and feel really inspired to write when there are good musicians in the room. I write melody first, and sometimes lyrics will come immediately, especially when I’m writing for other people, but if I’m writing for myself I often take it home and adjust lyrics later on so I can hyper-fixate on them in my own time!

Many people discovered (or rediscovered) you this year with the release of ‘BLUE SASHIKO’. It’s tender but serrated, and never stays in one uniform shape. Talk me through the creation of this one? Did you realise when you were making it, it would travel and resonate? 

I actually started this idea a few years ago! I wrote the chorus over a guitar loop my friend Rob had sent me. I always liked it but knew it was far from where I wanted it to end up. Then when I was on a writing trip to New York making the project with Joe, I played it for him and he loved it, so we sort of dug in and scrambled it up.

Would you say ‘BLUE SASHIKO’ is the EP centrepiece? If so, why? 

Sonically, it was definitely the centerpiece in my mind after we made it. I used it as somewhat of a north star of the EP and attempted to build out the sounds around it. It helped that we made it really early on in the process, so it became the first track and first part of the story, and everything else naturally followed. 

What was on your moodboard for this EP? What did you want to tap into, evoke and explore? 

So much. I just checked and I made ten different decks during the process of this EP. I do love a moodboard. This was the first time that I actually made the main deck as I was making the music. It was really cool to have some of the concepts outlined visually alongside the music making. There were certain images and references that heavily informed the songwriting, which was a first for me. I had my laptop open to my Powerpoint in the studio, and stared at it while writing lyrics. I think that’s going to be my method going forward. 

Can you trace the narrative arc of ‘TREAD 27’ in a few sentences?

‘THREAD 27’ is about building yourself up by hand through different mediums. I used the language of several art forms; sewing, drawing, painting, technology and mosaic, to talk about my life. The title of the project is supposed to represent the 27th year of my life and all of the conversations, or threads that connect to me.

‘PAINT ME AS A DREAM’ is a personal favourite, the sole collaborative track on the EP. The drum programming is so good! Talk me through the creation of this one and what Botaii brings to the experience? 

Thank you! This was the only song that I didn’t make in New York. My friend, Botaii, who lives in Norway sent me an initial instrumental. I started recording vocal ideas on top of it, and structured out the song and lyrics. I knew I wanted a feature on the project and I’ve always loved his writing, so I asked him to write the second verse. After he sent over some melodies, I wrote lyrics to them that fit the meaning of the song. I then stacked more of my vocals in the background of his verse to make it feel more blended. I even played a little flute in the outro, which he thankfully made sound much better. It was an unusual way to make music but it was actually quite fun to just send small bits at a time back and forth and work on it in our own time. 

I wanted to get some insight into being an independent artist today. No journey is the same, but what advice would you give to artists coming through eschewing the big label monopoly. 

The music world is full of people who are going to tell you what to do and talk to you as if they have all the answers, when actually nobody really does. What works for other artists isn’t going to work for you. The longer I spend working in music, the more I try not to listen to unsolicited opinions on my music or my image. I spent the first few years in music giving far too much weight to the opinions of the people around me, particularly men. But no more of that!

If the EP is a dialogue between artist and listener, what do you most want to convey about your artistry?

I’m quite a detail-oriented person, so I think I’d love for people to try to get something new out of every listen, and decide on their own interpretations of the lyrics. 

This is an EP tailor-made for an intimate stage experience. What does that live re-interpretation look and sound like?

I played the EP live in London recently, and it was really fun to figure out how to translate it from the recordings. I played an alternate intro of ‘TOUCH CONTROL’ on my orchid synth, and also used a distorted radio mic on several of the songs to mimic the vocal affecting I used in the recordings. ‘MOSAIC’, in particular, is fun to use that radio mic for because it sounds like I’m underwater. Then I switch and sing the last chorus on the main mic and it feels like I‘ve resurfaced, which is quite fun.

You collaborated with the anonymous collective H.LLS on the track ‘GUERILLAZ’ which is a pacier, club-skewed creation. What was that experience like? It’s seemingly taken on a life of its own.

It has! I’ve never had so many teenage boys follow me on Instagram! But it has been cool to reach a different audience and I really love the song. It feels like a persona rather than me signing the lyrics as myself, but that’s what made the writing process interesting and different from my usual approach. I made it with the H.LLS guys the second time we worked together, and before I knew it the song was coming out. They’re all so talented and lovely to work with, and we’ve made more stuff together that hopefully sees the light of day at some point.

Looking to the future, are you living with this record for the remainder of the year or are you already in the throes of shaping your next era? If so, what can we expect from you?

I am sitting on so much music but am feeling a bit indecisive at the moment about what to put out next. I’m definitely hoping to get more music out this year so keep an eye out. In terms of what to expect from the music itself, I’m leaning into weirder and weirder territory by the day.

And finally, which artists – new or old – are you enjoying today? 

Becky and the Bird, Nick Hakim, and Amil Raja. Tap in!

‘THREAD 27’ is out now.